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Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

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Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#261

Post by Spooky23 »

olau wrote: post #66
nerdjon wrote: post #45

As a user, why would I choose this? I only see a benefit to developers for this, but from a user prospective going with another system is a downgrade. Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong), disabling a subscription should be able to happen from a central location with a click or 2. If I instead go with the billing through a company not only do they now have my credit card information, but I have…

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

> To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of all transactions. You think that would be reasonable?

More like a world with only endcaps.

The difference between the app stores and retail is that every SKU has a fixed margin.

At most stores that sell a variety of product, anything you see right away is a paid placement. The first beer you see, Pepsi in the front of one store, Coke in the other. That’s why you don’t see canned corn on the end cap.

The notion that I should have the feels because poor Epic pays a 30% commission to Apple so they can sell my kid a virtual character dance move at 98% margin is absurd. The argument is specious.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#262

Post by chihuahua »

dangus wrote: post #247
chihuahua wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For Spotify in particular, I'd rather have more money going to Google instead of Spotify. Because I don't want to be funding Joe Rogan.

If you really wanted that you'd just not use Spotify at all.

That is exactly what I have been doing all along.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#263

Post by 8note »

munk-a wrote: post #172
FredPret wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple/Google app stores are a service connecting users to app creators, and all the points about Spotify also apply to Apple and Google. In the case of Apple, they literally created the entire market, from the CPUs all the way up. If 30% is too much, publish your content as a web app. If you want to play in the walled garden, pay the cover charge.

I think the biggest difference is that Spotify isn't a monopoly at the end of the day - it's a popular service. A lot of people still use different methods to listen to music like YouTube, iTunes, bandcamp and a plethora of others. If you, as a band, want to make money on your music you aren't required to do business through spotify, it's a choice that most people make because it's free money. On the other hand if yo…

Apple does not have a monopoly on software distribution, nor on making computers.

Apple makes very popular computers in their iPhones, but other phones, tablets, laptops, gaming consoles, etc all do the same stuff.

Eg. When your phone is broken, you can still call people over your laptop, and you can access an internet browser from basically anything

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#264

Post by eloff »

nerdjon wrote: post #45

As a user, why would I choose this? I only see a benefit to developers for this, but from a user prospective going with another system is a downgrade. Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong), disabling a subscription should be able to happen from a central location with a click or 2. If I instead go with the billing through a company not only do they now have my credit card information, but I have…

Or worse, like free mobile in France, force you to send a paper letter with a specific format to cancel service. I cancelled my credit cards instead and will let them try to collect internationally.

They also let you cancel by phone, if you speak French.

They have quite a nice online portal area where I can login and make changes to my plan. But they don't let me cancel there on purpose. It's a dark pattern and I'll never use their service again as a result. Which is too bad, because I was quite satisfied with it otherwise.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#265

Post by 8note »

darkwizard42 wrote: post #238
AndrewDucker wrote: post #54

It has always seemed weird that if I use my Spotify account on my Android phone, iPad, and desktop, who gets a cut of my money depends on which one I use to set up billing.

That is because the person who does the billing incurs the costs...the billing isn't based on usage, it is based on who processes the bill.

I don't think it's costs they care about, but control.

When apple gets control over the transaction, they can take whatever cut they want

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#266

Post by lupire »

post-it wrote: post #253
dangus wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you really wanted that you'd just not use Spotify at all.

A silly response. It's much easier to not do anything than it is to move my music ecosystem somewhere else.

Then you don't "don't want to be funding Joe Rogan at all".

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#267

Post by lupire »

Spooky23 wrote: post #261
olau wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

> To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of all transactions. You think that would be reasonable? More like a world with only endcaps. The difference between the app stores and retail is that every SKU has a fixed margin. At most stores that sell a variety of product, anything you see right away is a paid placement. The f…

It may surprise you to learn that not every app is Fortnite.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#268

Post by lupire »

bmhin wrote: post #89
Shank wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of all transactions. You think that would be reasonable? Just so that we're talking on equal terms here, card processors and networks solve a massive amount of problems that existed with cash. Pre-card, many stores setup credit accounts with individuals, had book keeping practices…

Choice is the real thing though more than actual value add. I feel like I see it less now, but recall seeing how vendors would only accept certain cards and not others (frequently, not American Express) which was as far as I know stemming mostly from higher fees they didn't want to pay. Similarly, places would not accept credit cards at all if they had razor margins and didn't want to eat the fee. I still know of a f…

Cash-only businesses are dodging taxes not money handling fees.

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#269

Post by trollian »

8note wrote: post #260
yywwbbn wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty of different platforms besides Spotify which have comparable catalogs and are available on all/most platforms (even Apple Music has an Android app). Their subscription prices are almost the same so the market seems to be very competitive and nothing like the iOS App Store.

Similar prices could also suggest cartel-like behaviour

The contracts that the record labels offer to streaming platforms are (or were a decade ago when I was in the business) set up to strictly control the prices seen by end users but I'm sure their lawyers believe they can do this without running afoul of competition laws. Even if the effect is price fixing...

Re: Spotify and Google Announce User Choice Billing

#270

Post by binkHN »

olau wrote: post #66
nerdjon wrote: post #45

As a user, why would I choose this? I only see a benefit to developers for this, but from a user prospective going with another system is a downgrade. Assuming google works like Apple (correct me if I am wrong), disabling a subscription should be able to happen from a central location with a click or 2. If I instead go with the billing through a company not only do they now have my credit card information, but I have…

I know that a consumptionist attitude is popular these days, but as a user of something like Spotify I would surely prefer as much as possible of my monetary contribution ending up with Spotify and the musicians instead of in the hands of a company controlling the market place. To the people who think the exorbitant fees are okay: Imagine a world with no cash. Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of al…

> Now the payment card companies decide they want 30% of all transactions. You think that would be reasonable?

Careful there. Someone might pipe up and say this is what cryptocurrency was designed to resolve.

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